


Straw That Broke The Camel's Back

by klutzy_girl



Series: Years Roll Slowly Past [29]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst, Canonical Character Death, Crying, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Episode Tag, Episode: s15e03 The Rupture, Family, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Missing Scene, Season/Series 15
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-25
Updated: 2019-10-25
Packaged: 2021-01-13 16:37:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21175886
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/klutzy_girl/pseuds/klutzy_girl
Summary: Each member of Team Free Will is falling apart due to the recent successive traumas they've suffered - the events of the last week have finally broken them. Sam's mourning Rowena, Dean's dealing with his anger and Sam's grief, and Cas leaves to get away from it all.





	Straw That Broke The Camel's Back

As soon as Rowena completely disappeared from sight, Sam’s knees buckled and he went down. Concerned, Dean immediately dropped down by his side to make sure he wasn’t hurt. “Sammy? You hurt anywhere?”

Tears pouring down his face, Sam shook his head. “No.”

“You think you can get up?”

“No,” he repeated, his breath hitching. Sam couldn’t move a muscle and doubt he’d be able to get up any time soon.

Dean and Cas exchanged a glance and then both grabbed one of Sam’s arms to help him up, ushering him back to the Impala. “You sure nothing needs healed?” Cas pressed, even though he wasn’t even sure he’d be able to right now.

“I’m okay,” Sam lied.

“Let’s just go home, Sammy.”

Suddenly frantic, Sam waved his hand. “Rowena’s stuff! I need to get it.” But he found he couldn’t even make his legs move to get out of the car now that he was inside and deflated.

“I’ll get her things,” Cas assured him and he jogged back to the mausoleum. He returned in less than ten minutes and found Dean fussing over Sam, checking him for injuries despite the younger Winchester’s protests. “Everything is here. I’ll keep it in the back with me. That okay with you, Sam?”

“Sure.” 

The one or two word responses worried Dean but he couldn’t focus on that right now - they needed to get home. “Let’s go,” Cas murmured as he closed the door.

The three of them headed back home to the car and to no one’s surprise, Sam cried the entire way home. “Why don’t you try and drink some water, Sammy?” Dean suggested. Sam kept turning him down, however, and was still a mess by the time they made it to the bunker. Cas and Dean helped him out of the car, and the latter kept a hand on his brother’s back as they made their way down the stairs. “I’ll take care of him,” he said and that was that.

“She’s dead,” Sam murmured as he sat down on his bed.

“I know, Sammy. I”m sorry.” Dean didn’t know what else to do or say. Sam had to kill someone he cared about to save the world and there was nothing he could say to make it okay.

“I need out of these clothes.” Sam stood up and frantically pawed at his shirt, trying to get his clothes off. He thanked his brother when Dean helped him and grabbed some clean ones out of his drawer.

Dean kneeled down next to him, not sure when to break it to his brother that Ketch was also dead - he had gotten the text during their car ride home. “You need anything? Anything at all, kid, just tell me.”

Sam looked at up with reddened eyes as more tears poured down his face. Dean used his thumb to wipe some off his cheeks. “I loved her, Dean. Didn’t even realize until it was too late.”

His heart broke for him. It wasn’t fair to Sam that he had to keep losing the people he loved (wasn’t fair for him either). “Aw, Sam.” Dean couldn’t take it anymore and hugged his younger brother.

Dean briefly left for a quick trip to his room to change and then came back to check on Sam again.

Dean was furious at Cas and probably would be for a while but he hadn’t expected the angel to leave - that was the last thing he wanted. But he couldn’t take it back and now they all had to live with the consequences. He wondered if Cas would even come back this time - had he pushed him too far? He wasn’t about to dwell on it, however - he had a grieving brother to take care of right now and Sam would remain his number one priority. They’d take a breather and then get back to work. That’s what they always did. He finished his beer, grabbed another one, and then returned to Sam’s room, unsurprised to find him on his side, still crying. “Sam, why don’t you drink some water and go to sleep?”

“Not tired,” Sam lied.

“For me?” Dean tried.

Sam couldn’t say no to that. “Fine,” he said.

Dean cracked a smile, handed the glass of water over, and encouraged his brother as he gulped down some of the water. “You feeling a little better now?”

“Yeah,” Sam rasped.

Knowing that his brother would try to lie to get him out of his room, Dean sat back against one of the pillows. “Not going anywhere, kid. I’m right here.”

Sam glared but sighed and closed his eyes. “Thanks, Dean.”

“No problem, Sammy.” And Dean waited and watched over his brother as he finally went to sleep.

He was so furious right now he didn’t know how to handle it but taking care of his brother would always help. They’d deal with all the other shit later.

Cas stopped outside the bunker for a brief second, wondering if Dean would call him back, and then accepted that wasn’t going to happen. He got in his car, unsure of his destination, and then leaned on his head on the steering wheel as sobs wracked his body. He hadn’t had time to properly grieve Jack and now everything was hitting him at once - they had all been through so much shit in the past week or so and he didn’t have it in him to cope with anything else. On top of that, his powers were failing and he didn’t know what that meant - it was terrifying in every conceivable way. Losing Mary, Jack, and Rowena so close together was absolutely heartbreaking. And the fact that his and Dean’s friendship had fallen apart was making an already fucked situation worse. He didn’t know where Chuck was but he hoped he was suffering. “Tell me what to do,” he whispered as the sobs continued. He didn’t know who he was talking to and it didn’t really matter. He wished they had answers. 

Pulling himself together, Cas wiped the tears off his face and decided to look for a hunt. He needed something to keep his mind off everything, especially since he didn’t know if he was even coming back this time.

All three members of Team Free Will had been pushed to their limit. They didn’t know what was next on their plate but it couldn’t be good. And for now, they were splintered, torn apart by grief and anger.


End file.
